Bobbin package



y 1, 1968 B. P. CANNON 3,384,228

BOBBIN PACKAGE Filed Oct. 10, 1966 INVENTOR.

BILLY PAT CANNON.

4Z2, i EMU ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,384,228 BOBBIN PACKAGE Billy Pat Cannon, Greensboro, N.C., assignor to Union Camp Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Virginia Filed Oct. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 590,161 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An inner packing designed to support bobbins in fixed position. The packing comprises hinged sections having apertures in the side walls thereof which support the bobbins.

This invention relates to a bobbin package and more particularly to an inner packing designed to be placed within a container for supporting fragile articles in a fixed position.

A great many types of fragile materials, such as plastic I film, yarn, flexible tubing, wire, fabrics and the like, are

shipped and stored in a wound condition around a core, such as a reel, bobbin, cone, tube and the like. The core upon which the coilable material is wound shall hereinafter be referred to as a bobbin.

During the shipping and storing of these wound bobbins, they tend to move about within the container. This movement is highly undesirable because it causes the wound material to rub against the walls of the container.

The problem of rubbing is twofolded. The engagement of the wound material with the walls of the container tends to damage the outer layers of the material, particularly the more delicate material. In addition, the force of a plurality of wound bobbins rubbing and pushing against the walls of the container greatly weakens.

the container and increases the possibility that the container will rupture and allow its contents to spill out.

The same problem exists for bobbins which are. not wound. If they hit or rub against each other within the container, the bobbins may be nicked or roughened which will cause damage to the material eventually wound on the bobbins.

The present invention eliminates these problems by providing an inner packing designed to support a plurality of bobbins in a fixed position during shipping and storing and adapted to be inserted within containers of varying dimensions. The inner packing is made from a single blank of material and has self-contained hinges.

An object of this invention is to provide an inner packing for supporting a plurality of bobbins, either wound 0 not wound, in a fixed position. 1

Another object is to provide an inner packing constructed from an integral blank of material.

Another object is to provide a package for shipping and storing bobbins.

Another object is to provide an inner packing having self-contained hinges.

Another object is to provide a bobbin package that is economical and easily constructed.

Another object is to provide an inner packing having apertures of alternating size for alternately securing bobbins in a staggered relationship.

Another object of this invention is to provide an inner packing for supporting bobbins which can be shipped and stored in a fiat condition and assembled quickly and easily when needed.

Another object is to provide an inner packing that is adaptable for use in containers of varying size.

Another object is to provide a container having an inner packing which is easily and quickly removed.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the invention which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank from which the inner packing is constructed;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the assembled inner packing showing the bobbins being placed therein;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the assembled inner packing ready to be placed in a container for shipping; and,

FIGURE 4 shows one type of bobbin usable with the inner packing of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference numbers designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a flat, substantially rectangular blank 10 of sheet material, such as corrugated board or the like, of a weight suitable for the type of bobbin and material to be supported.

The blank 10 consists of a front portion 11, side portions 12 and 13 and rear hinged portions 14 and 15.

The front portion 11 is defined by score lines 16 and 17 and is bisected by normal center line 18. The side portions 12 and 13, adjacent score lines 16 and 17, are defined by score lines 16 and 21 for side 12 and by score lines 17 and 22 for side 13. These side portions are substantially identical and, for the sake of clarity, only one will be described.

The side portion 12 has a plurality of rows of alternating large apertures 19 and small apertures 20. The apertures 19 and 20 are alternately arranged in longi tudinal rows and normal columns so that apertures 19 are adjacent apertures 20 in both a longitudinal and normal direction and apertures 20 are adjacent apertures 19 in both a longitudinal and normal direction. The number of rows and columns of. the staggered apertures 19 and 20 is dependent upon the number of bobbins desired to be placed therein.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the hinged rear portions 14 and 15 are adjacent side portions 12 and 13 and are separated therefrom by common boundaries, score lines 21 and 22 respectively. The hinged rear portions 14 and 15 are preferably identical and of a length approximately one-half that of the front portion 11 when the edges of said portions are to be butted together. Manifestly, they may be of different lengths provided that their combined length substantially equals the length of the front portion 11. When the said portions 14 and 15 are to be overlapped, either partifl-ly or fully, they will of necessity be of greater lengths than when they are merely abutted.

'Interconnecting the score lines 21 and 22 are a plurality of longitudinal cuts 23. The longitudinal cuts 23 extend completely through the thickness of the blank 10 and divide the front portion 11 and the side portions 12 and 13 into a plurality of symmetrical sections. The longitudinal cuts 23 bisect the rows of apertures 19 and 20 so that one-half of each of the apertures 19 and 20 lies in each of the adjacent symmetrical sections.

Coaxial with the cuts 23 are a plurality of hinges 24 which extend from the score lines 21 and 22 outwardly in a longitudinal direction to the outer edges of the blank 10. The hinges 24 are formed by scoring and partially cutting through the thickness of the blank 10 along the entire length of the rear portions.

In assembly, the hinged rear portions 14 and 15 are folded 90 about the score lines 21 and 22 to a vertical portion. In this position, the scored hinges 24 face inwardly towards the normal center line 18. The side porlions 12 and 13 are folded 90 about the score lines 16 and 17 so that the rear portions 14 and 15 and the hinges 24 face and are parallel to the front portion 11. In this position, the rear portions 14 and 15 are in abutting relationship. Such abutting edges will, in most cases, be joined by the manufacturer with a tape. However, in some cases these portions may overlap, either partially or fully, and be secured with a locking device or other securing means such as a tape or stitching. In some instances, instead of being supplied as a tube, the blank will be shipped to the customer or user in the flat condition shown in FIGURE 1 and the customer or user will secure the portions 14 and 15 together.

It will be obvious that, with the rear portions 14 and 15 secured together in complementary abutting relationship, a complete, three-dimensional inner packing 26 has been constructed from the blank, as shown in FIGURE 3.

In their assembled position, the side portions 12 and 13 are in parallel spaced relationship and the apertures 19 of one side portion are coaxial with the apertures 20 of the opposite side portion, as best shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 2 shows the assembled inner packing 26 being filled with a plurality of bobbins 27. It will be noted that the bobbins 27 have a large end 28 and a small end 29.

In operation, the symmetrical sections defined by the cuts 23 are folded outwardly about the hinges 24 and the bobbins 27 are placed in the apertures 19 and 20. The dimensions of the large aperture 19 are sufficient to accept the large end 28 of the bobbin 27. In view of the alternating relationship of the apertures 19 and 20, it will be obvious that the bobbins 27 can be stacked within the inner packing 26 only in an alternating position, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The reason for alternating the position of the bobbins 27 within the inner packing 26 is to maximize the number of bobbins that the inner packing can carry. It will be understood that the apertures 19 and 20 could be of equal diameters or could be of any size and shape depending on the core being packaged. If diameters of equal size are used the rows could be staggered to maximize the number of bobbins to be packaged. This principle would be used more frequently in packaging wound bobbins than with empty bobbins. Furthermore, the apertures may be alternated on rows rather than within rows. After each row of apertures is filled, the succeeding symmetrical section is folded into position and filled in the same way as hereinabove described. When all of the rows of apertures are filled, a piece of tape or other securing means 25, as shown in FIGURE 3, may be applied by the packer or user, transversely across all of the symmetrical sections in order to hold them together as a single unit and to prevent them from separating during shipment.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been devised an extremely simple inner packing construction which requires only a single forming blank which can be shipped and stored economically and efiiciently. The described inner packing has a plurality of self-contained hinges and requires only the addition of an expedient securing means to be completely and finally assembled. The construction and arrangement of the inner packing permits the supporting of a plurality of bobbins in a fixed position during shipment and storage. In addition, the resultant inner packing is adapted to be inserted within containers of varying dimensions.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article, and ditferent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description (or shown in the accompanying drawing) shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An inner packing for supporting a plurality of articles in a fixed position comprising a single sheet of suitable material folded to form a rectangular structure having a front wall, a pair of side walls secured to said front wall, and rear wall means secured to said side walls opposite the front wall, a plurality of longitudinal rows of apertures in one side Wall and corresponding longitudinal rows of apertures in the other side wall, the opposite apertures in the side walls being in alignment to support elongate-d articles, said side walls having cut lines extending from said rear wall means to the front wall and passing through substantially the centers of the apertures of each row, cut lines in said front wall extending between the ends of a corresponding pair of cut lines in the side walls, the cut lines dividing the rectangular structure into a plurality of sections interconnected only at the rear wall means, said rear wall means acting as hinge means for permitting relative pivotal movement between said sections for insertions of elongated articles in pairs of aligned apertures.

2. The inner packing as defined in claim 1, wherein said apertures are dimensioned to present alternately disposed large and small apertures in a row.

3. The inner packing as defining in claim 1, wherein score lines are formed in the rear wall means, each of said score lines extending between the ends of a corresponding pair of cut lines in the side walls to form a hinge line for the corresponding section.

4. A blank for an apertured packing support for articles comprising a sheet of suitable material, said sheet having spaced transverse score lines intermediate the transverse edges of the sheet to define portions which, starting from a transverse edge, are a first rear portion, a first side portion, a center portion, a second side portion substantially symmetrical with the first side portion, and a second rear portion, said sheet having straight rows of apertures extending across the side portions, and cut lines in the sheet extending from the first score lines to the last score lines and passing through each row at substantially the centers of the apertures of the row.

5. The blank of claim 4 wherein said sheet has additional score lines in alignment with said cut lines and extending from the ends thereof to each transverse edge.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 203,727 5/1878 Hackelberg 217-21 208,154 9/1878 Cleveland 206-67 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,008,423 4/ 1951 France.

(1st Add. 64,254) 988,602 4/1965 Great Britain.

MARTHA L. RICE, Primaly Examiner. 

